FULLTERTON, CA – You know, I never thought I’d find a band in which I would never skip a song while listening to their whole album (or in this case, their discography). I have FINALLY found that band and they are none other than your friendly bummer punks Pity Party from Oakland.
I always kind of listened to screamo music as a kid, but I never really grew up in the punk or hardcore scene. As a kid who loved music, I was always trying to find the next big band that was going to grasp all of my attention. I never really felt like a “groupie” towards many bands or artists but I just can’t help but to continuously follow Pity Party everywhere they play (I’m not a stalker trust me).
I absolutely LOVE DIY shows. Something about a small area in the middle of a city makes me feel like I’m participating at an illegal “underground” show. Programme Skate shop is such a small place but it’s nothing short of an amazing time. Outside the shop you’ll find a lot of people chatting it up amongst themselves, looking at the plethora of merchandise at the merch tables, or either just meeting new people and talking about other shows going on around there area. Standing so close to people makes you really feel like you’re a part of the scene, as if you are one with the community. And hey, the community is great! Even if it was a crowded area, I was able to get to the front of the crowd pretty easily. I wanted to get to a spot where I could be up and close with my favorite band.
Since I last saw them, Pity Party signed a deal with La Escalera records, and I couldn’t be any happier for them. They deserve so much for the amazing music they make and the energetic shows they give to everyone. I started to get super psyched as Sarah, the lead singer of Pity Party, starts to come up to the front of the room with the rest of the band. I’ve seen this band play so many times already but I always get excited when they play. This was the band’s first tour promoting the third and newest album the 4 song EP “Are You Happy Yet?” (released on March 30th) and this was their second time coming back into So-Cal after playing shows in Texas, SXSW, Arizona, and Las Vegas.
They started to get their instruments ready as everyone started to close all the empty gaps in the room to see this band play. It took them a while to play because they needed to find another guitar plug-in since there were going to have three guitarist play for this particular set.
“We are Shmity Shmarty, and we want to say that girls rule!” was a very humorous and ice breaker way to start the show. This band has so much energy when they play, I have honestly never seen anything like it. It’s almost as if every band member just goes crazy while being synchronized with the whole band. Sarah just goes crazy and literally is everywhere on the stage. She wraps the microphone cord around her neck, falls on the floor, dances, and just gets down to the music. It’s amazing when the audience also matches the energy that the band is creating, because within all that, makes an extremely fun show for everyone. Songs like “Nick’s Birthday”, “Peter Frampton”, and “Booze Cruise” were fan favorites and really got the crowd going. Even I got to scream a couple words out into the microphone to my personal favorite song “Suicide Handbook’. Everyone in the band is extremely talented, from Sarah, to Bob, to Mike, and to Dustin. They together make a perfect underrated punk band that I hope everyone gets the chance to see in the future.
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